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The Tyre Recommendation Thread

190K views 231 replies 134 participants last post by  aldo98229 
#1 ·
If you have bought a set of tyres for your MINI that you liked, and you would like to recommend that tyre to other Mini2 members, then post up here and tell us all about it :).

It doesn't matter if it's a runflat tyre or a regular tyre , only that you liked them ;).

Just say what brand and model of tyre it is, and what size you bought it in. Then write a small description of what you liked about it :).

Hopefully this thread will see a pattern emerge, of tyres that work well on a MINI ;):nice:.

If this thread proves to be popular, then i shall start listing an index of all the tyres recommended, in this first post.
 
#172 ·
Michelin Pilot Supersport

I changed from Pilot Exalto PE2s in 205/45-17 to these in a 215/45-17 and love 'em. I thought that there would be a problem with the speedometer but it turns out that speeds measured with my GPS are now correctly displayed on the car's readout as well. Great wear and super bite in the corners. Glad I made the switch.
 
#173 ·
Continental Conti Extreme GT
These tires are everything you want in a tire. Relatively quiet, wear well, good in rain and they stick like glue on dry pavement. Track well on grooved freeways.
But they are not an all season tire (pluses are but don't have same attributes) No way will they be suitable for snow or icy conditions.
 
#174 ·
On my 2002 MCS I traded it in before I had to replace the tires. I did have a second set of take-off MC 15" rims with the stock Conti all season tyres that I used for my winter driving. Both sets of tyres were worn to the wear bars when it was traded in at 36,000 miles. I found the stock Dunlop runflats to be a very satisfactory tyre, other than the obvious ride and cost issues. They had excellent traction wet or dry and offered a lot of fun for a factory option. The tread wear was excellent for a tyre with only a 280 index number. Their cold weather performance was marginal which was not unexpected for a high performance summer tyre.

On my 2006 MCS the stock Dunlop runflats lasted about 23,000 miles when they were replaced with a set of BF Goodrich Traction T/A 205/50R16. Those tyres lasted about 35,000 miles. They were great tyres, excellent wet or dry, stable under braking, very good turn-in, excellent tread wear. Would have replaced them with another set of the same thing but BFG had stopped making them.

I settled on some all season Kumho Ecsta AST in 205/50R16, with a tread wear rating of 400, as my daily drivers. As a daily driver they are pretty good; quiet, decent ride, very good dry traction, responsive handling, good tread wear. The only weakness is a marked lack of wet traction even under damp conditions.

In addition to the Kumhos I also have a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta 2 studded winter tyres mounted on some MC 15" 7-hole wheels in 185/65R15. Absolutely fantastic winter tyre, great in snow, wet, or on ice. Only possible down side to these tyres is the amount of noise from the studs while driving on dry pavement. I find that I'm changing to my Kumhos as soon as the roads are clear and putting the Nokians back on just before it snows again. A bit of a pain, but the tread on the Nokians is lasting quite well, going into their sixth winter I still have well more than half of the original tread depth left.

For the weekends I had a set of Falken Azenis RT-615 tyres in 215/45ZR16 mounted on some factory R84 X-lite wheels. These are fantastic play tyres. They are DOT approved and come with just 9/32" of very sticky rubber. The tread wear number is 200 and they wear out in an inverse proportion to the amount of fun you are having. I got about 1500 - 2000 miles on my first set and was very happy with that. It was three years worth of auto-x and track happiness.

I was so happy with them that I bought another set with their new compound, the RT-615K, and am even happier with them. They have fairly stiff sidewalls which gives them excellent steering response. The traction, wet or dry, has been excellent. At the limit they let you know gradually before traction completely goes away. They allow over steer conditions with complete confidence and predictability.
 
#176 ·
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S

Put my second set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 205 45 ZR 17s on my 08 Cooper S just before hitting Minis on the Dragon in May 2012 - first set got a little loose after 41000 miles - put the new ones on and car felt like new again - took the 16 inch runflats off at 5800 miles - couldn't stand the constant bumping and pounding on the relatively flat roads around St. Pete Fl - have yet to break these loose on a corner -
MINIPOPS
 
#177 ·
I have a 2008 Cooper S and researched tyres for a fair while when my original run flats were due to be changed. I was never happy with the RFs as they seemed too harsh.
My tyre guy recommended the new (to Australia) Continental Conti Contact MC5.
I went up one size to 215x45x17.
These tyres are fantastic. Great handling, quiet and they soak up bumps rather than crashing over them.
 
#178 ·
I just completed a 1,000 mile trip in my 08 MCS on new Pirelli P Zero run flat tires. I feel like I am in a new car again. Smooth ride, great handling and quiet which was my biggest complaint from the Kumhos I just replaced. These are not the P Zero Nero or the Rossi, just the plain P Zero. I love my scoot more than ever now! Standard size 205/45/17.
 
#179 ·
Hi,
I'm looking for a recommendation on new tyres.

I need 195/55/R16 for my Dooper; i've checked forums/web but there are no real reviews for that size.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 asymmetric 2 seems to be the current tyre of choice, however they dont seem to do it in the required size.

Any info/help would be good.

Cheers.:smile:
 
#180 ·
I was assuming the tyre size isn't so critical for tyre comparisons. The tyre profile would vary more on some tyres than others, I guess.

Having just worn out front and rear tyres at the same time, I looked around the web for comparisons. The most useful I found was this: Tyre Test 2011 | Products | Auto Express

I've been using P Zero Neros for 5 years now and they're really good, but I figured tyres have improved in 5 years and Pirelli seems to be updating the P Zero rather than the Nero version. I've changed to the Bridgestone S001, but haven't finished even wearing them in yet. Much harsher ride than the Pirelli (makes the standard suspension feel like the sports suspension!!) but I think they're giving much better feel and feedback (or maybe it's just that I can feel all the harshness through the steering - but I don't think it's just that.)
 
#183 ·
Making the switch!

I need to change my tyres from the Continental Run Flats now, my wife has had enough of the bumps and snatchy steering and I must say I am looking forward to not wincing every time I see a bump in the road ahead! :eek:

Thinking about either:

  • Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 in 215/45/17 (but should it be max weight 545kg or 615kg - and why is the higher cheaper :confused:)
  • Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110 88W XL 205/45/17 or 215/45/17
Anyone got a picture of how the 215 tyres look compared to 205?

Input gratefully received!
 
#192 ·
I am looking to replace my run flats with a set of non run flats. I have an MCS with the Flamo Spoke alloys. Does anyone know what tyre sizes can be used with these rims?

I read somewhere that it is restricted to the original 205/45, but have seen no evidence to back this up. Anyone tried different tyre sizes with these rims?
 
#193 ·
Yokohama

I'm using Yokohama A539 on my JCW with 17 pro race wheels.

I'm in Mallorca where it is normaly dry and I'm running quite a lot of power, grip is great! Tyre wear is too early to tell, driven once in wet and it was ok! Get rid of them run flats , car feels soooo much better without them. The only other tyre I would have gone for would have been the R888 but they have a lot less useable tread from new and they did not do the exact size as standard( police here have guns! They are very keen originality)
Hope it helps!
:nice:
 
#196 ·
I've just replaced my goodyear excellence run flats to non run flat Falken ZE-914's.
These are the new version of the ZE 912's which are no longer in production.

I can say the ride is much quieter, smoother and controllable. The insides don't vibrate as much and I'm getting a noticeable increase in mpg. Good in the wet and dry.

Got mine from etyres, fitted at £75 per corner.
 
#197 ·
Tyres

I had Continental Premium Contact 2's non run flats on my Dooper with 16" wheels and thought they were a great tyre.

My current Cooper S clubman has Bridgestone RE050A runflats and I find them hard and unpredictable especially now its getting colder. They also seem to be wearing much quicker than I'd expect -probably the extra 70 or so horsepower :biggrin:

Plan to change them for non runflats in the spring and had Continental Sport Contact 3's or 5's in mind.

Anybody had any experience or done a comparison yet?

Bozzer
 
#198 ·
My Roadster with 17 nonrunflats came on Sport Contact 3s and they are proving to be a damn near perfect tyre - great grip wet/dry traction/brake/cornering, stunning resistance to aquaplaning, comfortable, not too noisy (it's a Roaster, so not quiet).

They may have a downside of higher wear than other brands but I couldn't care less when they work so, so well. Cheapskating on tyres is the easiest way I know to turn a Mini into just as good a car as a Perodua....

Interestingly, the OEM tyres on my August/September car are not Sport Contact 5s and they are 84V and not the 88W XL (extra load) variant that seems to be all that can be bought from tyre shops. I know some people believe the XL are stiffer, but then that means they are less comfortable, less compliant and probably heavier.
 
#200 ·
Either, Paradas are a great tyre but checkout 215/45/17s before you decide. There's only minimal difference in circumference but it's a more popular size so pricing is sometimes a little bit more keen.

You might also want to consider starting a new thread rather than resurrecting a dead one, this one is nearly 6 months old :)
 
#202 ·
Just that your question was a bit more specific and probably deserved a thread of it's own since you're asking for advice rather than giving a recommendation (the latter I think was the original intention but it seems to have gone a bit stale and possibly not developed as intended).

Anyway, back to your question... it depends what you want from the tyre. 215/40s will have a bit more grip and slightly sharper turn in, 205/45s will ride slightly better and will likely have less aggressive breakaway characteristics as the lateral G's will be fractionally lower when they do let go.

My experience here is going from 215/45/17s to 225/45/17s and 215/60/16s to 225/55/16s on previous cars (Impreza and Forester XT) and 205/45/17 run flats to normal tyres on a Mini and with the Yokos on a Lotus Elise. Going to the wider lower profile tyre on the Forester was beneficial in terms of steering response but that car obviously had much taller side walls so the effect was possibly more pronounced. Grip was improved both times when going from 215 to 225 wide tyres. Ride was improved dramatically on the Mini when changing out the run flats.

Considering you are going from run flats to non run flats, the extra stiffness from the lower profile sidewall of the 215/40 tyres may be beneficial. However, personally, I don't find a lack of steering response to be an issue on the Mini and I didn't find I lost any real steering response when I made the switch to normal tyres on my previous MCS but it did ride much better so once I've killed the run flats on my current MCS, I will be swapping them for a 215/45/17 tyre to gain a bit more grip and improve the ride at the same time.

But, like I say, it depends on what YOU want from the tyre in terms of altering the ride and handling characteristics of the car but in any case, the Yokos are a great tyre and would suit the car well in both sizes you mention as well as the 215/45/17 size (which is the one I'd go for).
 
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